


Nightmares

by talesofryuuchan



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Astraphobia, Tom is a sad child, deppression and anxiety, everyone in this series needs a hug tbh, hahaha, he needs every hug, phonophobia, this was really made as a vent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8881960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofryuuchan/pseuds/talesofryuuchan
Summary: Tom slowly cracks under memories and self loathing.





	1. Chapter 1

Tom got out of bed with a groan and ruffled his hair. He turned towards his clock and groaned even louder. It was 4:00 in the fucking morning. Tom flopped back down and curled up under his comforter. He counted to ten slowly and tried to slow his heart rate. Waking up from nightmares was never a fun task, but he did his best.

Tom paused for a moment when he realized that his cheeks were wet. “Fuck,” he growled, “God fucking dammit. I should be over this by now.” He covered his mouth with one hand while the other pulled the blankets tighter against himself. Sobs wracked his body as he tried to keep quiet. Tom found that he could never draw the line between his memories and his nightmares. A loud crash of thunder made him jump. If he hadn’t been covering his mouth he probably would have let out a yelp.

He debated on whether or not to grab Susan and attempt to drown the noise when a soft “ping” filled the room. Edd had texted him asking if he was okay. The brunette sighed and wiped his tears away before typing a quick yeah. Well, that was until the next roll of thunder shook the whole apartment.

Tom bolted for the bathroom and called Edd instantly. He didn’t even get a word out before puking into the toilet. Tom heard a soft voice filled with worry say, _“I’ll be over in a bit with Matt.”_ Guilt gnawed away at his heart and mind. His friends shouldn’t have to put up with his bull shit. He wasn’t worth it.

The brunette just curled up on the tile floor and held himself while his mind destroyed his heart. Tom had been crying so hard he didn’t even notice his friends come into his apartment.

Edd sighed while Matt rubbed his eyes. He looked to the ginger and said, “Come on, help me with him.”

Tom had the worst of it out of the three. They could no longer afford to make any big jokes involving guns or loud noises, unless they actually wanted to watch Tom get drunk off his ass that is. The trio had come to dread thunder storms since the incident with Tord. With how loud it could be at times and the chance that the storm could shake the building, it definitely was not a picnic for any of them. Matt could tolerate it and Edd wasn’t really affected at all since they hadn’t been there when Tord let the first set of bullets fly, but Tom had been.

“At least he doesn’t smell like booze,” Edd mumbled. He was trying to be positive, but the fact that Tom wasn’t even drunk and he was throwing up made him worry more. Matt didn’t really help in the end, but he wasn’t paying attention to his reflection in a mirror. Edd eventually got Tom back into his bed and did his best to maneuver his way through the bottles on the floor. He wrapped his friend up in the covers while he tried to get him to calm down.

Edd turned to Matt and quietly asked, “Do you think you could manage to grab some water and a pair of headphones?” The ginger just stood there and blinked for a moment, still somewhat asleep, and nodded.

Edd went around the room picking up bottles, empty and full, and tossing them out. He let out a heavy sigh and grabbed Tomee bear off of a dresser to give to Tom. Matt came back with a bottle of water and a pair of headphones eventually and asked, “Anything else?” Edd just shook his head as another wave of thunder hit, this time causing Tom to scream. The two turned to each other and shared a worried look before attempting to make Tom look at them. He just screamed louder and scooted away until his back hit the headboard of his bed.

Edd grabbed his friend by the shoulders and shouted, “Breathe Tom! Count to ten with me!” Tom was nearly hyperventilating at this point and was trying his best to not kick his friend in the stomach. “It’s okay, Tom. It’s okay now,” Edd whispered. The tension that had built up in his shoulders was slowly leaving as they counted to ten repeatedly. Edd took the headphones from Matt and plugged them into Tom’s phone before quickly slipping them into Tom’s ears. He put the music on as loud as it could go so that Tom wouldn’t be able to hear the thunder well, if at all.

Edd held Tom’s hand until he fell asleep, Matt sitting by his side the whole time. The ginger whispered, “Is he ever going to be okay?”

The somber brunette shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd finally talks to Tom about what's been going on.

The sun was bright as it fell on Tom's sleeping figure. He let out a groan as he tried to sit up. Something was wrapped around his neck and it was bugging the hell out of him. Tom raised a hand to his throat to unravel the headphone chord that had come unplugged from his phone in his sleep.

"Great. Now where's the phone?" he growled in annoyance. He wanted to know the time, but since his alarm clock was knocked off his night stand last night when he had his breakdown he had to find his phone. Tom blinked for a moment before the weight of everything hit him. He scared the shit out of Edd and Matt and made them waste more time on him. He vaguely remembered the way Edd had held his hand until he fell asleep, how his childhood friend placed the headphones in his ears and played a lullaby he hadn't heard in a long time. Matt actually stayed and helped too. Tom cursed and let his head fall into his hands.

Tom let out a bitter laugh as he said, "Damn I'm so useless." 

"You know you shouldn't say those things 'bout yourself. It'll only make your depression worse," Edd said as he walked in the room. Tom flinched and looked away. Edd just sighed and set a cup of coffee down on his friend's nightstand. "Tom, we really need to talk about this. You're not getting any better," the brunette said softly. Tom just curled up in his blankets and turned away from Edd entirely. The man in the green hoodie growled, "You don't even deny it anymore! Look at yourself, none of this is okay!" The ball of covers flinched with each word. Edd ran one hand down his face in exhaustion before placing his other on Tom's back. "Tom, Matt and I are always here for you if you need something, but there's a point when you need more than just us," Edd's voice cracked as he spoke, "You don't eat anymore, and you don't go outside....Matt and I....We miss you. We miss your jokes, your sarcasm, we miss all of it." 

Tom didn't have to look back to know his friend was crying. He just hoped that he wasn't shaking enough for Edd to notice that he had joined him. Guilt gnawed away at his insides as he heard his friend let out a sob. He just wanted to go back to bed. Maybe if he slept everything would go away. Things could go back to normal. They would be in their old house and they would all be sitting on their couch watching shitty movies. 

Tom felt himself being pulled into a hug, covers pulled away and showing his face. Edd had begun combing his fingers through Tom's hair as he whispered, "It's fine Tom. Thing's will get better. It'll just take a bit of time." The smaller man hadn't even realized that he had begun wailing. Everything he built up and drowned in alcohol had surfaced, not even giving him a moment to breathe. Tom just held tight onto his friend's green hoodie, fingers sinking into it as though it were a lifeline. He almost didn't notice the second pair of arms wrap around him and Edd. 

Matt had come and tears were streaming down his cheeks as well. Edd continued to run his fingers through Tom's hair as the tall ginger rubbed his hand in circles on Tom's back. Eventually, sobs turned into hiccups as things quieted down. Tom just stared at his hands, not wanting to see the disappointment in his friends' eyes. 

"Tom, you know we aren't mad at you right?" Edd questioned, not even attempting to hide the worry in his voice. Tom tensed up and his eyes went wide, his gaze never leaving his hands. His mind came up with several responses, but he knew his friends wouldn't be happy with any of them. He saw how Edd and Matt shared a knowing look. Tom knew the phrase that was coming next. He had been waiting to hear it for the last few weeks if he were being completely honest. However; it did not mean he wanted to hear it anymore than he wanted to hear the voices in his head insult him. Edd took a deep breath before announcing, "Tom, I think you need to start seeing a therapist."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while. This story is really more of a vent than anything, so I work on it when I have the time or when I'm really upset. Hope you guys enjoy it, though.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom locked himself in his bathroom after Edd suggested therapy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while. I'm gonna try to pick this one up again along with another old fic I dropped for a while. It's been a while since I've written anything so please try not to be too mean.

Tom felt as though he was drowning. Everything was blurry and he was wheezing. Tom felt as though he were a failure. He almost laughed. Of course he was. The brunette was currently locked in his bathroom, doubled over, gasping for breath while his two best friends were banging on the door. Tom acknowledged the yelling, but he couldn't understand anything that was being said. He began to claw at his throat and chest as he tried to get air into his lungs.

"Wait, Edd, don-!" he heard it just in time to move out of the door way. Edd was heaving in the middle of the hole that used to be a door. Said door went through the wall and flew for miles. Tom just looked at Edd in shock. His friend had used his powers to break down the door. The little bit that was left was just wasted on him. Tom rushed to the toilet to puke. "I know I'm not the prettiest, but damn Tom I didn't think I looked that bad," Edd chuckled. He felt a hand on his back, attempting to soothe him. It only made him feel worse, though. His friends were still willing to put so much effort into helping him and he didn't understand why.

"Just leave me alone, Edd..." he croaked weakly. Tom didn't have to turn around to know that Edd was frowning. It had been quite a while since he felt this useless. The tears came easily, but the words didn't. All Tom could do was sit back and bury his face in his hands as he sobbed. After a few minutes, he heard Matt move and try to sit on the other side of him.

The usually light-hearted ginger struggled to find a successful way to comfort his friend but found none in the end. The trio sat there for a while, waiting for someone to move or speak. Eventually, Matt spoke up, "Tom, don't you think it's time you talked to someone about all of this? I know that I'm not the brightest out of the three of us, but even I can see how miserable you are."

Both Edd and Tom turned to face Matt in shock, although Edd appears more proud than anything. Tom, on the other hand, scowls before opening his mouth to retort, " I'm fine just the way I am, Matt. I'm not going to -"

"Tom, shut up and look at where we are right now. Think about everything that just happened. Hell, think about what's been happening for the last year!" Edd's voice quickly rose with each word until he was practically screaming, "Do you really mean to tell me that this is okay?! Drinking away your problems until you're not even eating?! " Tom stared at the ground, a numb sensation washing over him until he's unable to move. Edd felt tears well up in his eyes as he forces Tom to look at him and snaps, "Look. at. me. Stop running away from everything and at least try." Edd hugged his friend tight as he whispered, "All I'm asking is for you to try, Tom. Please, for us, just try talking to someone. If it doesn't work then I won't ask you to do it again."

Tom bites his lip and takes a deep breath before mumbling, "Fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short but I'll try to make the next chapter longer.

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing something for Eddsworld. Please don't be too mean ;v; Depending on how people review it I might continue this.


End file.
